First Starbucks coffee store in Cambodia grabs major media coverage

Chang Bunleang, managing partner of the local Brown Coffee chain, which has 10 outlets in Phnom Penh, said that while Starbucks was a well-known brand among Cambodians, consumers would ultimately determine their coffee choices based on quality.

“A lot of time [our] coffee is actually handcrafted, and Starbucks is going too much to fully automated machines. So it’s not an art, it becomes like a machine-made drink,” Mr. Bunleang said.

“A coffee lover, I believe, will want to look at the whole process of making coffee.”

Cambodia currently has a wide range of local, chic cafes across its major cities, as well as popular international chains like Gloria Jean’s, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Costa Coffee.

Starbucks Ready for a Sip of Cambodia’s Coffee Culture, wrote Igor Kossov at Khmer Times.

The global chain will benefit from a growing willingness by Cambodian authorities to protect intellectual property rights. Several years ago, a fake Starbucks location using a similar logo opened up in Phnom Penh. It was forced to shut down after legal action from the company.